First occurrence of Salivirus in the cerebrospinal fluid sample of a pediatric patient with Meningoencephalitis

Salivirus (SalV) is a novel member of the Picornaviridae family with unknown pathogenesis. It has been isolated from samples such as sewage and feces in children with gastroenteritis and non-polio flaccid paralysis acute, even healthy children. This study aims to examine the presence of SalV in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples of children under 5 years old with Meningoencephalitis.

In a cross-sectional study between September 2022 and October 2023, 160 CSF samples were collected from patients of Bahonar Karaj Hospital and analyzed by Real-time PCR method based on the amplification of the 5ʹUTR part of the SalV genome. The positive sample was sequenced, and a phylogenetic tree was mapped.

This study detected SalV RNA in 1 of 160 Cerebrospinal fluid samples, a 4-year-old male patient, with a viral load of 3.5 × 10³ copies/ml. The sequencing and phylogenetic analysis revealed the A1 genotype of SalV.

Human Salivirus in CSF samples was detected for the first time in the world in children hospitalized at a pediatric hospital with Meningoencephalitis. However, the findings of this study did not explain the association between the virus and the diseases. Further investigations to determine the pathogenesis of the virus are required.